1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of air launched missiles and in particular to the aerodynamics of fittings or fixtures attached to such air launched missiles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The range and speed of a missile is directly dependent upon the aerodynamic drag of the missile. Thus it has been a long felt need to reduce any contribution to drag. However, a number of fixtures must be attached to the missile body for the purposes of carriage and launch, all of which fixtures contribute to drag and measurably reduce the range and speed of the missile. Typically, the drag caused by such fixtures or other projections from an aircraft body or missile is minimized by providing fore and aft aerodynamic fairings adjacent to the fixture. However, the long fore and aft streamlined shape of the aerodynamic fairings are incompatible with the requirements placed upon fixtures which are connected with air launched missiles, typically missile hooks. The launcher and ejector geometry generally comprise constraints upon attachment clearances which prevent the effective use of conventional aerodynamic fairings.
Previous efforts undertaken by this inventer to provide for mechanical pop-up aerodynamic fairings have resulted in fairings which are complex, are characterized by accentuated fore and aft lengths, and which generally add a considerable amount of weight to the missile body. Conventional pop-up aerodynamic fairings have almost universally been impractical or unfeasible for missile hook applications.
Therefore, what is needed is some type of device which may be used in a missile hook application to minimize the drag on air launched missiles which is not subject to each of the defects of the prior art discussed above.